“I’m very happy here. I want to enjoy my racing and I’m really enjoying my time here. I can’t see any reason to be anywhere else.

“I’m driving for one of the best teams in the world. It’s a position that most drivers would love to be in and I’ve worked very hard for it. I might be around for three years, five years…I don’t know.”

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said the team were equally keen to retain Button.

“If Jenson says he is totally committed and wants to do x more years, then I suspect that we could quickly come to an agreement,” said Whitmarsh.

“He’s a tremendous asset to the team and when we get around to that, I hope that it will be a quick and easy conversation.”

Button enjoyed a fantastic start to his McLaren career after winning two of the opening four races in 2010 but his championship challenge faded and he eventually finished fifth overall.

His fourth place at the last race inChinameans the Brit has not won a race in over a year.

Button – a nine-time Grand Prix winner – got his F1 break with Williams in 2000 before moving to Benetton the following year.

He was replaced by Fernando Alonso for the 2003 season and joined BAR Honda. He stayed with the team until the end of 2009 after it morphed from Honda to Brawn GP.